Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: In 48 games with the Green Bay Gamblers (USHL), Chris Crane scored 10 goals and added 9 assists. He picked up 120 penalty minutes to go along with his +17 rating. In the playoffs, Crane scored 3 points in 5 games.

2009-10: Crane’s second season for the USHL Green Bay Gamblers, where he posted 15 goals and 14 assists in 52 games. He also managed 107 penalty minutes. He was drafted 7th round, 200th overall in 2010 Entry Draft.

2010-11: Crane skated in all 37 games for Ohio State as a freshman. He scored 4 goals with 6 assists and was -2 with 37 PMs. Two of his four goals were scored on the power play. Ohio State finished a disappointing ninth in the 11-team CCHA.

2011-12: Crane really improved his offensive game this season at Ohio State University when the sophomore winger scored 14 goals along with 10 assists and a minus three rating in 35 NCAA games. He led the Buckeyes team with the most points, goals, power play goals (six) while scoring two game winning goals and providing leadership when needed this year.

2012-13: Crane signed a two-year entry-level contract with San Jose in April 2013 following his junior season at Ohio State. He made his pro hockey debut with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in Worcester and had no points and was -1 with 6 penalty minutes in eight AHL games. Worcester missed the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Atlantic Division. Crane scored 6 goals with 3 assists in 38 games for Ohio State and was -8 with 69 penalty minutes. The Buckeyes finished fourth in the CCHA and reached the conference tournament semifinals; falling to Notre Dame, 3-1.

2013-14: Crane appeared in two games for San Jose AHL affiliate Worcester in his first pro season — splitting the year between the Ontario Reign and the San Francisco Bulls in the ECHL. He had 1 assist and was +1 with no penalties in his time with the Sharks. In 67 regular season ECHL games between the Bulls and Reign he scored 10 goals with 13 assists and was -19 with 91 penalty minutes. Crane was with Ontario during the ECHL playoffs. After finishing first in the Pacific Division the Reign were swept by Stockton. Crain played in three of four games and was -1 with 1 goal and no penalties.

2014-15: Crane skated in 13 games for the AHL’s Worcester Sharks in his second pro season — opening the year with the club and playing one game before being reassigned to the ECHL and then rejoining Worcester in February. He scored 1 goal with 5 assists and was +2 with 9 penalty minutes with Worcester. Crane played most of the ECHL season with the first-year Missouri Mavericks; joining eventual Kelly Cup champion Allen late in the year and skating for the Americans during the playoffs. He scored 11 goals with 8 assists and was +4 with 33 penalty minutes in 37 games for Missouri. Crane scored 3 goals with 1 assist in three regular season games for the Americans and was the team’s fourth-leading scorer in the playoffs. Crane scored 10 goals with 10 assists and was +17 with 20 penalty minutes in 25 playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Chris Crane is a physical forward who will not shy away from the rough stuff in front of the net. He has been a consistent scorer at the ECHL level and been opportunistic during his brief time in the AHL but his game appears to be inconsistent at this stage. He plays the boards well and has a work ethic that coaches love.

Future

Crane enters his third NHL training camp with San Jose looking to secure a full-time spot with the Sharks' new AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, in 2015-16. Coming off a big playoff run with the Kelly Cup champion Allen Americans last spring, Crane's work ethic and blue-collar give him an outside shot at a lower line role in the NHL level one day but there are glaring holes in his game — such as his skating and lack of consistent positional play — that remain challenges.

Photo: San Jose’s 2010 draft had its best returns from American high schooler Charlie Coyle, the key component in the Brent Burns acquisition (courtesy of Paul Hebert/Icon Sportswire)

2010 was a heartbreaking year for the San Jose Sharks. They had a squad built for the playoffs, and after being the top team in the Western Conference for a second season in a row, they faltered in the Conference finals, failing to win a single game against the eventual Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks.

Due to their success, but ultimate failure, the Sharks would pick 28th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft – a tough pill to swallow for a team that hadn’t had a 1st round selection in the two years prior (and would trade one the next year).

Photo: Freddie Hamilton has NHL-caliber skill, but a poor training camp has relegated him to the AHL for now. (courtesy of John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

The first few weeks of the the 2014-15 season have provided an early glimpse of what San Jose Shark fans can expect going forward during the youth movement in San Jose. General manager Doug Wilson has not shied away from injecting young, inexperienced players into his roster. Read more»

Photo: A free agent signing out of Minnesota State-Mankato, Eriah Hayes made his NHL debut with the San Jose Sharks on January 5th in Chicago (courtesy of Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI)

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Photo: Center Freddie Hamilton is just one of the prospects with San Jose’s AHL affiliate in Worcester with the potential to fill a complementary role in the NHL (courtesy of Scott W. Grau/Icon SMI)

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